Door opener



March 15, 1960 w. F. LARSON 2,928,690

DOOROPENER Filed July 22, 1957 INVENTOR. WAYNE F. LARSON E ie/ United States Patent noon OPENER Wa ne F. Larson, Springfield, m. Application July 22, 1957, Serial No. 673,227 1 Claim. (or. 292-3363 This invention relates to door operating mechanisms and particularly to attachments mountable upon ordinary doors and connectable with the latch operating mechanism thereof whereby to permit small children to operate the latch mechanism.

The door knobs for operating the latch mechanisms on standard doors are ordinarily positioned approximately three feet or higher above the floor. Handles in this position cannot be easily reached by small children. Accordingly, the children have difficulty in operating the door. This results in a necessity either for the door to be left open which may be undesirable or necessitates an older person opening the door for the child.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present i invention to provide an auxiliary door latch operating mechanism whereby to permit small children to operate the latch mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide operating linkage mountable on a standard door and connectable in operative position by the use of simple tools such as a screw driver.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. In the drawing wherein like reference numerals have been utilized to designate like parts throughout:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view with certain parts broken away illustrating an auxiliary latch operating mechanism made in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention mounted upon a door, the latching position being shown by solid linesand the unlatching position being shown by dashed lines;

Figure 2 is an end view of the mechanism of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the lever connectable to the latch operating shaft of the door; and

Figure 4 is a side elevational view with certain parts broken away of the auxiliary handle forming a part of the present invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing there is shown an auxiliary handle and latch operating mechanism generally designated by thenumeral 10 made in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present.

invention. The auxiliary handle 10 has been shown mounted upon a wooden door 12 having a latch mecha nism 14 including a latch 16. Disposed perpendicular to the face of door 12 is a shaft 18 operatively connected to the latch 16 and operable when rotated to retract latch 16 whereby to permit door 12 to be opened. There position illustrated in dashed lines of Figure 1.

movement of lever 46 is effective to retract latch 16 wherel 7 2,928,690 Patented Mar. 15, .1960

is providedon one end of shaft 18 the usual door knob 20 held on shaft 18 by a set screw 22. Turning of knob 20 is' effective to turn shaft 18 and thus withdraw .latch 16 from the engaging or latching position.

The auxiliary handle device 10 includes .a mounting plate 24 which has been illustrated as being substantially square in shape with rounded corners. However, it is to be understood that other shapes of plates can readily be used. Plate 24 has a substantially frusto-conical embossment 26 formed therein which is apertured to receive therethrough a stub shaft28. The end of stub shaft 28 disposed through'embossment 26 is peened over or enlarged as at 30 whereby to interconnect shaft .28 and plate 24. Four screws 32 have been illustrated mounting plate '24 upon door 12. Attached to shaft 28 and preferably formed integral therewith is a lever 34 having a pair of oppositely extending ofiset arms 36 and 38.v As may be best seen in Figure 4 of the drawing, arm 38 is disposed toward shaft 28 and arm 36 is offset outwardly therefrom. Formed integral with the outer end of arm 36 and disposed perpendicular thereto is a handle 40 including a knob 42 of a size adapted to be grasped by the hand of a small child. I

Interconnection is made between lever arm 38 and the latch operating shaft 18 through a connecting rod 44 and a lever 46. Lever 46 is provided adjacent one end thereof with an aperture 48 having a gripping ring 50 therein. Extending outwardly from aperture 48 toward the adjacent end of lever 46 is a slot 52 providing a pair of resilient lever sections 54 and 56. Aligned-threaded apertures are provided in sections 54-56 and receive therein a screw 58. Screw 58 when tightened serves to move sections 54 and 56 toward each other whereby to tighten lever 46 about anything disposed within aperture 48. As maybe best seen in Figure 2 of the drawing preferably a portion of door knob 20 is inserted through aperture 48 whereby lever 46 can be fixedly attached thereto in any desired adjusted position.

The other end of lever 46 is provided with an aperture 6%. Aperture 60 is adapted to receive a portion of connecting rod 44. More specifically, connecting rod 44 includes a substantially straight connecting portion 62 having a first end 64 bent at an acute angle slightly less than 90 with respect to the axis of connecting portion 62. End 64 is adapted to be inserted through aperture 60. Preferably a neck is formed in end 64 to receive a snap ring 66 which serves to hold connecting rod 44 in connected relationship with lever 46.

The other end of connecting rod 44 is provided with an end 68 also disposed at an acute angle slightly less than 90 with the longitudinal axis of connecting portion 62 and disposed in a direction opposite to that of end 64. End 68 is adapted to be inserted through an aperture 70 in lever arm 38 and is held in position therein by a snap ring 72. In a preferred arrangement the end 64 extends toward the door through aperture 60 and end 68 extends outwardly away from the door through aperture 70.

In order to operate the auxiliary door opener, the operator who usually will be a small child will grasp the knob 42. The parts as shown in solid lines in Figure 1 indicate the latching position of the various parts. The child then pulls downwardly upon knob 42 until the knob 42 reaches the position indicated in dashed lines in Figure 1. The small size of knob 42 makes it easy for the child to grasp and move the auxiliary handle.

Downward movement of knob 42 serves to raise the outer end of lever arm 38 and thereby raise connecting rod 44. This serves to move lever 46 upwardly to the Such by to permit opening of door 12. The child then opens door 12 by simply pulling outwardly on knob 12.

-s It will be-seen that the mechanical advantagein retracting latch 12 by utilizing the auxi1iary'hand1e40is' substantially greater than vthat liavailable when the ordinary door.knob..2t) is .ntilizedstcs operate the latch mechanism mechanical advantagejfactj ,is "several times and. may be as many as .four. on five-.times,.-that'available usin'g door knob 20. .Furtliermormrthe auxiliary knob 42 is. more easilylhandled by. a small childthan thejrela'tively large usual. door knob 20.

Theianxiliary. door opener can V simple tools; For example a screw-. driver is efiec'tive to mount thetvarious operating parts'upon' door 12. In

addition only four. screws 42' are. required, to mount plate: 24 in. position: and: the tightening off a single screw 5 81will serve toclamplever 46fupon.knob..20i ltlwill' be notedtthat ittwill. also. be. necessary .to remove Knob 20 by" unscrewingthe. set screw 22 before. inserting. the smaller p'ortion of lknol'rw 2.0. through .agerture' 48'.

. It will'ibe seen that/there has.heen provided"anlauxiliary door opener. whichfnlfillsall oflthe. objectstand' advantages set forth. above. Although. one...preferred' 'form of the invention. has. been shownfor purposes ofjillustration; it is to be understood that various changes. and' modifications canbe made therein without departingr'from the spiritandl. scope of the invention. Ac .:ordingly,v the" invention is to be limited'only as set forth in the following claim. a

I claim:

be readily appliedu'sirigif' 2,928,690 r r i 4'. r t. a height readily to be reached by a small child, a first lever pivotally mounted-onsaid mounting plate and havingtwo lever arms extending outwardly from the pivot point in opposite directions and in alignment, one of said lever arms being offset outwardly away from said door, a handle formed on the end of said one of said lever arms and extending outwardly therefrom, -a knob formed on the outer end of said handle, said knob having a diameter substantially smaller than said: door: knobi and being of a size An auxiliary-door opener comprising a door, a latch V mechanism mounted. on the door,.said.latchmechanism including a latch movable between latching, and unlatchingpositions, a door knob. rotatablymounte'don saiddoor'.

and connected to said latchmechanism .to. move said latch between latching and. unlatching positions, .a. mounting platemounted on said door belowsaid door. knob and at equal" whereby to providein cooperation'withisaid second levera mechanical advantage for'said handle' substantially greater than that afforded by-said door knob in operating said latch mechanism.

References-Citedinthe'file of this patent UNITEDISTATES PATENTS 338,640

589,311 Brown Sept. 14, 1897 669,825- Edwards Mar. 12, 1901,

2,801,122 Sutter ..l. July30; 1957 2,862,750 I Minke Dec; 2",.1958

FOREIGN PATENTS.

4135696 France-- "r'une;1, 1910 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 2,928 690 March 15 1960 Wayne F. Larson It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2 line 72,- for the numeral "12", second occurrence read 42 column 4L line l3, for other" read outer Signed and sealed this 16th day of August 1960,

(SEAL) Attest:

KARL H. AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

